Being an Artist
Videos 228
Playlists 3
by Art21January 23, 201912 videos • 1:28:54 total runtime Don’t Sweat The Technique
In this playlist, artists bounce between mediums, pulling techniques from one form and applying them to another, and expanding narratives. Avery Singer promotes the philosophy that a “technique tells its own story,” and the juxtaposition of new and old “produces a new visual reality” and new meaning.
by Art21May 24, 201716 videos • 1:59:59 total runtime The Anarchic Potential of Color
Bright and busy to the cusp of chaotic, the color employed by the artists in these films can’t be contained by a traditional palette.
by Art21March 1, 201714 videos • 1:07:19 total runtime Origin Stories
In this playlist, artists share their motivations, discussing the inspiration for some of their earliest work and what led them to become artists.
Read 22
Where Do Vision and Execution Diverge?
Ursula von Rydingsvard constructs a concept piece by piece.
Idea Generator
Liz Magor discusses how she approaches her sculptural practice, how we value objects, and her desire for a quiet studio.
How Does Community Intensify Ingenuity?
Jason Moran scores through dialogue amongst peers from across disciplines.
When Do You Feel the Most Like You?
Kalup Linzy finds freedom in character.
Intergenerational
LaToya Ruby Frazier describes the external factors at play in her work and the rapidly changing socio-economic landscape of her hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania.
Imagining Alternatives
Pedro Reyes shares a wide range of influences and discusses his use of play, humor, and optimism to create diverse works that sometimes function as public services.
Lorna Simpson
Lorna Simpson on weaving literature into her visual practice and the artists inspiring her today.
Can Explosive Ideas Start Small?
Cai Guo-Qiang seeks grandness with emptiness.
Is Perspective a Matter of Surroundings?
Susan Rothenberg gains an exterior point of view.
Studio as Laboratory
Addressing questions of how objects acquire value, Sarah Sze posits that being an artist is about giving yourself permission to make choices.
Mel Chin’s Fundred Project Takes the Next Step
Mel Chin discusses the evolution of the Fundred Project, an art initiative that has expanded nationwide to end lead poisoning.
Childhood
Nick Cave recalls the impact of the community in which he was raised and how that encouraged him to pursue his creative interests. Interview by Stanley Nelson at the artist’s studio in Chicago on December 15, 2015.
Defining an Artist
Tania Bruguera explains the term Arte Útil in relationship to the social responsibility of art. Interview by Susan Sollins at the Queens Museum in Queens, New York, on March 24, 2014.
On Photography
Speaking with Art21 founder Susan Sollins in New York City in August 2008, Carrie Mae Weems meditates on the photographers who influenced her work and how she constructs an image.
Resisting Dichotomies & Compressing Complexity
Interviewed in his Queens, New York studio in October 2017, Jack Whitten reflects on his childhood, the inequality he faced as a Black artist, and the necessity of fighting simplistic dichotomies.
Teaching History by Sculpting Experience
Doreen Garner shares the motivation driving her sculptural practice: to educate viewers about suppressed racist histories.
Resisting Reductivism & Breaking the Bubble
Barbara Kruger shares her media diet, what she sees as art’s role in contemporary society, and the inspiration behind two of her earliest works.
“Blueprint for a Landscape”
Artist Sarah Sze shares the process behind her immersive installation Blueprint for a Landscape (2016) at the Second Avenue Subway’s 96th Street station.
Expanding the Role of the Artist
Theaster Gates shares what he sees are the possibilities for artists to go beyond the making of objects, to actively contribute to and better their communities.
